Secrets to Discover
by Emy-022
Summary: Narelle Westbrook journeys from London to her new 'home' in Port Royal, but with a dark and to some, difficult past. When she meets a man, her tough shell cracks and secrets are spilled to keep him with her. As she lives her new life, can the friends she makes keep her secrets? First fic in a while, please review! T for now, may change.
1. Chapter 1

**So, uhm, I'm back from what feels like years (cause it HAS been years! Whoops!) with a new story that's been floating around in my head. I originally had no idea what to call my OC, but here she is! Narelle… honestly used a name generator I was so desperate for a name. Anyway I thought I'd throw this out there, just to test the waters… leave feedback if you could… I haven't done this in a while so whatever you have, I'll read! Thanks! :D**

1.

Narelle Westbrook rested her arms on the side of the ship, the _Superior, _and stared out on the growing town of Port Royal. Her ice blue eyes were squinted from the sun's intense light, and the strong breeze blew small strands of her dark chestnut hair from her pins. She had never thought that she would actually be staying in this tiny town, since London was her home.

_I can't think like that anymore, _she thought. This _is my home now. Port Royal._

"My lady," came a voice. Narelle jumped slightly, and saw the captain of the ship standing next to her.

"We're about to come in to dock," he said. "Might I suggest you go below and prepare yourself?"

Narelle let out a breath, nodded, and went below deck to her quarters. As she looked around, she saw her things were already packed for her, and she gave a half smile.

"Sophie, you didn't have to," she said.

"Might as well, considering that I'm still your maiden," Sophie replied, standing in the doorway.

"Couldn't even take a day off?"

"Never." Sophie and Narelle laughed. "Besides, here you'll be safe from your uncle and that wretched tower and your god-awful cousins."

Narelle nodded. "How will I live?"

"You are going to your new estate," Sophie replied. "Don't worry, they finished about two weeks ago, and everything's perfect as far as I know."

An officer poked his head out from above deck. "We're docked, my lady. You can come out and come off the ship if you like."

"Thank you, kind sir," Narelle replied. She looked to Sophie.

"Well I guess we better get going, huh?" she asked with a sheepish smile.

"Yes, m'lady. There's a carriage outside waiting for you when you step off the pier."

Narelle stepped back out into the intense Caribbean sun and off the _Superior _to the pier of Port Royal. She looked around and saw the town bustling with activity and a few of the townspeople stopped to look at the newcomer, and she saw a few of the small children wave to her. She smiled and couldn't help but give a small wave back before their mothers would look over and pull them away. She looked to Sophie.

"Are they all like that?" she asked, concerned.

"Not all," she replied. "You're new. It's going to take them a while for the people to get used to you. Besides that, you're royal. As soon as they figure that out, they'll be crawling to your feet."

Narelle grew uncomfortable. "Really? If that's the case I don't want that. I'd rather be invisible then."

"Now, now. Come. You're carriage is waiting, and look: there's someone there that I think wants to meet you."

Sure enough, when Narelle spotted the carriage, she noticed a man dressed in the dark blue uniform of a Royal Navy Officer was standing near the door. He had a genuine smile on his face and had his hands behind his back.

"I'll be the first to say 'welcome to Port Royal,'" he said.

Narelle gave a smile in return.

"Thank you, good sir," she replied. "I'm Narelle Westbrook."

The man kept his smile and glanced to the street before his deep green eyes met hers once again.

"I hate to say it," he said. "but I'm pretty sure everyone here knows your name, including myself. I'm quite familiar with the name, but I was pretty sure that you were just an urban legend."

"What, a woman locked in a tower after her uncle couldn't bear to look at her any longer, just wishing that _someone _would at least come up to say hello?" she replied. "I'm hardly a legend, but the secrets I keep are far darker, and the amount of knowledge that I possess is greater than even the king himself, Captain Norrington."

"H-how did-"

"It doesn't matter how I know your name," Narelle replied, a stern look replacing her smile. She opened the door to the carriage and half stepped inside, leaving one foot out on the step. "I suggest you tell everyone you know that the urban legend is very real, and that the nightmare that resides in London may find itself on the very streets these people call home." She sat down in the carriage and closed the door. The carriage took off, leaving a baffled and confused James Norrington to only stare after her.

Sophie turned to Narelle. "Do you think it was necessary to do that to him?"

"Necessary? Possibly. I can tell this town has no idea about what is really happening in England. Something's coming, but what it is, I'm not sure."

** So… What do you think? I wrote this in about a half hour… so please excuse the lack of detail… I wanted to see how this went before I expand or just throw it out altogether! Thanks a lot and please, please, please leave a review! ~Emy022**


	2. Chapter 2

**So thanks to the traffic that I've seen over couple of days, I'm glad to say that I'll continue.. good thing too, I was kind of itching to get back out here… Thanks again guys! Oh and if you want to know what inspired me to get back, check out the James Norrington character tribute "I'm too sexy" clip.. just thinking about him actually singing and (however provocative) dancing pretty much makes me laugh so hard I cry.. anyway.. enjoy! Oh and by the way, this is going along with the movies, but with a twist, so slight AU. And for all intents and purposes, no one for the moment sees through her façade through this chapter. Please try not to get confused, and just hang on! :D**

2.

"Are you absolutely sure this will work?" Sophie asked.

Narelle huffed. "Yes, Sophie," she replied. "I did this in London, so this place should be no problem. I start in an hour, so I need my hat."

Night had blanketed Port Royal, and after a week of living in her new home, Narelle finally donned her Royal Navy uniform. Sophie had already bound her chest and pulled her hair back. As she looked in the mirror, she looked about the same in London as she does in Port Royal.

"Voice check," Sophie whispered.

"Captain Michael Ketterling," Narelle said hoarsely. "Ready for patrol, my fair lady." She bowed and playfully took Sophie's hand. They both laughed a little.

"Get out there, Captain," Sophie commanded. "Your patrol won't wait for you."

Narelle grabbed her tri-corn hat and left the room. She descended the stairs of her grand staircase, earning a few "byes" and "see you laters" from the other maidens roaming about the house. She stepped onto the street, and took in the lit streets of Port Royal.

A few torches lit the way to the fort, but the lamps dangling from the overhangs of the taverns gave additional light to not only the streets, but to the people. Men using their days' pay to drink into madness ambled about the streets, some ducking into the alleys to vomit or to pass out, others to shout obscenities at each other until fists flew.

Narelle sighed, and took the most indirect route to the fort, making sure to keep away from the taverns and the drunken shouts of laughter.

_This place isn't as bad as London was when I first started, _she thought. _At least there aren't hordes of people living here._

She reached the fort, and made it past the front gate, before two lieutenants seized her attention. She noticed the pair, and they couldn't have been more opposite. One had a deep tan, and stood tall with grace, while the other was as pale as a ghost with not as much height as the other. The only thing they shared was the dark, flowing brown eyes.

"Sir," the paler one said. "Lieutenant Andrew Gillette at your service." He shook hands with Narelle as the other officer spoke up.

"I'm Lieutenant Theodore Groves, sir," said the other. "Ready for patrol, sir."

Narelle nodded. "Ketterling," she replied hoarsely. She listened to her own voice to make sure it was deep enough. "Why don't one of you take one group and I'll follow with the other as I get to know the streets of this town?"

"Yes, sir," Gillette said. "Theo, how about you take the captain around Port Royal with Murtogg and Mullroy, while I take the others and split up into groups?"

"That works for me," Groves replied. "Is that alright with you, sir?"

Narelle nodded. "That's fine."

Narelle, Groves, Murtogg and Mullroy have been walking around the town for the better part of two hours. Mostly she let Groves talk about the town itself, the weather, the hurricanes that seem to blind-side the settlement, and the occasional pirate threat. Mullroy and Murtogg were mostly silent, except to debate on the rock one of them would step on was really a rock, or a crab in disguise, or to argue over which fish was really bigger.

"Are they always like that?" she asked.

Groves gave a chuckle. "Almost always," he replied. "They don't get much work done, but it's never boring around them."

"I'm telling you," Murtogg said. "That rock moved when I stepped on it."

Mullroy sighed in exasperation. "That's because it's a _rock. _Rocks move when you step on it weird."

"You're saying I step weird?"

Narelle bowed her head slightly and gave a chuckle.

"Rock crabs _do _exist you know," she said over her shoulder. "A few might be living here, and none of us would know."

"HA!" Murtogg said. "The captain agrees with me. It was a crab!"

"Rocks move! I'm telling you!"

"Calm yourselves," Groves commanded. "You two are louder than the drunks!"

"Sorry," they whispered.

"What would Norrington say?"

The two stayed silent as Narelle's attention perked up.

"Is he really that terrifying?" she asked.

Groves glanced at her. "Sir, James Norrington's one of the most feared officers of the Royal Navy. He's got numbers that are slightly higher than your own, when it comes to hangings, captures, and destruction of vessels. Sure, you're a legend too, but only in the waters around England, but here? Norrington rules the Caribbean with the _Interceptor _and the _Dauntless. _Some of the most notorious pirates were captured, hanged, or slain by his hand, directly or not."

Narelle nodded. "What about off the job?"

"Ha," Groves laughed. "Well, if he's _not _working, he's a pretty nice guy. He keeps to himself mostly, but the friends he has are close to him."

A silence grew between them, when Groves suddenly cast a look to her.

"Sir, may I ask a question?" he asked.

"Groves, you've been talking almost without filter for the past few minutes," she replied. "And you're choosing _now _to ask a question? Go ahead!"

"Well, uhm, I was wondering if you knew anything about that Miss Westbrook that recently moved here."

Narelle's eyes widened, but kept her fear suppressed.

"As far as what?" she asked.

"Well, I know she's been trying to get used to the Caribbean climate, and she's been attending the balls and get-togethers with the others from the upper class, but no one really knows _her. _I mean, Norrington's seen her, but he hasn't talked about her at all. Makes you think, right?"

"I guess," she replied. "But otherwise, no. I haven't heard anything."

"Oh," Groves' face fell slightly. "That's okay, I was just wondering. Thanks."

Narelle breathed a silent sigh of relief, and kept walking.

_A flash of lightning, and I was scared into waking from the sudden clash of thunder. The candlelight slowly growing brighter behind my closed bedroom door._

_ Another flash, and I'm on the ground in the courtyard, my back in searing pain, my nightgown shredded._

_ Yet another flash, and I see those haunting pair of eyes staring into my own._

_ Green eyes._

Narelle gasped and sat upright, rubbing her eyes as if she could rub the nightmare away if she tried hard enough. She heard the door close, and she looked up to see Sophie holding a lit candle in the dark room.

"Those eyes," Narelle whispered. "I remember."

"What is it?" Sophie asked.

"It was him," Narelle replied. "It was James Norrington."

** Well, what do we have here? Not only does she have a secret double life, but she's got some dark memories as well. Not only that, but Narelle and James have met before! Thanks to the reviewer and to those who have taken a look! I'll give more as to how dark those memories are, and how she even got her commission. Thanks again! ~Emy022**


	3. Chapter 3

** So.. my laptop kinda took an internet poop and wouldn't connect to the god damned wifi, and pretty much made me super cranky. As far as I could tell though.. one review. I neeeeeeeed feedback from you guys to let me know how I'm doing. If you don't like my style of writing, just say so! If you like what I've got, I'd love to hear from you! Just TELL ME WHAT YOU WANT! D: Anyway, onward. Just thought I'd get that out there. Enjoy!**

3.

Narelle emerged from her house after sleeping last night's patrol off. It was around midday, and she figured she should get out and at least walk around town. Her pale yellow dress made her slightly tanned skin stand out, and although the other ladies of society gave her looks, she noticed that they were of jealousy than of disgust.

_What is it that I have that they want? _she thought. _Certainly I'm not that pretty._

She rounded the corner and almost smacked right into someone. She gasped, and kept her eyes to the street.

"I'm so sorry," she said. She looked up to see who she almost hit, and froze. Her pale blue eyes stared into the green eyes of none other than James Norrington. She instantly curtsied.

"I'm so sorry, Captain," she repeated.

James flustered a bit before replying.

"It's no problem at all, Miss Westbrook," he said. "I was actually looking for you."

Narelle's cheeks warmed, and she smiled nervously.

"Me?" she asked. "Why me?"

"Well, I was actually wondering if you wanted to join me for tea?"

She gave a surprised look, and smiled a little. "I'd like that, but may I inquire as to why?" she asked.

"Just want to get to know you, that's all, Miss Westbrook." James smiled fully back.

Narelle heard someone whisper, and her head snapped toward the source. A passerby looked down, and she quickly grew annoyed.

"What was that?" she demanded. "What did you just say?"

The passing lady looked back to Narelle in fear.

"N- nothing," she shakily replied. "I didn't say anything."

"Sure." Narelle kept cool. "Just keep walking."

The lady hurried off. Narelle looked back to James.

"Sorry," she said. "I could have sworn she called me a-"

"It doesn't matter," he replied. "Let them talk."

Narelle sighed slightly. Her smile returned. "Why don't you come by my estate in an hour? I have a garden in the back that I would love for you to see."

If James' smile could grow, it would. He chuckled.

"I'd love to see it. Very well. I'll come to your estate."

"Great," Narelle replied. "I'm sure you know where I live, it's the new house at the end of that road," she pointed towards her house, "down there."

She sat in the shade in the yard in the back, reading. She was hoping Norrington would show up soon, or she would go inside and finish some work she had piling on her desk. She turned the page and only stared down at the text, not really paying attention on the words.

She jumped a little when someone cleared their throat.

"Miss Westbrook," Sophie said. "A Captain Norrington is here. Something about you expecting him?"

"Yes, Sophie," Narelle replied. "Could you send him back here? And grab some tea?" She gave her a smile.

Sophie smiled back. "Of course, m'lady." She disappeared.

Narelle closed her book and stood as James stepped outside.

"Captain," Narelle said as she curtsied.

"Miss Westbrook," James replied as he bowed slightly. His eyes wandered to the blooming hedges. "I wasn't expecting this many flowers."

Narelle half-smiled. "There's a few more further back. Would you like to see?"

James nodded, and held out his arm. She slipped hers through his, and they walked through the small gate into the rest of her garden. She pulled away from him to close the gate behind her, turned back to James, and grinned at his expression.

He had never seen so many flowers and so many colors in one place before. Reds, pinks, even oranges of all shades seemed to light the entire area, while the blues and purples, even a few black flowers seemed to give it an endless illusion. He slowly turned around, taking in the sight, and started walking down the pathway. He came to a central point, where all different paths came together, and saw a vase full of pink roses. Perfectly arranged in a fashion where no flower wasn't touching another, he noticed there was only one rose that was white. It was directly in the center, and his eyebrows furrowed together in slight confusion. He turned to Narelle.

"Why is there-" he started.

"The white rose," she cut him off, "is what Sophie calls 'the missing piece' of my life."

"What is the missing piece?"

She lightly smiled. "I won't say. I'll tell you when that rose is replaced with a red one."

"Can't you indulge?"

"There's an entire story behind this bouquet. Someday I will tell you."

James smiled back. "I'll hold you to that. I have a few stories of my own that I may one day share."

**Well? I'm sorry….. this was written down, and I was going to publish it, but here's a quick synapse of what happened recently… I started school, had a boyfriend, kicked boyfriend to the curb, then finished school… now that I'm done with college till January, I will have plenty of time to rage at my computer as well as post some goodness for you… don't forget to leave feedback please! :D ~Emy022**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys! Posting chapter 3 made me really get back into the muse of writing, and I'm glad I wasn't too shunned from the lack of updates. :) Writing between shifts is hard, and I hope you can bear with me as I get my words down in somewhat of an orderly fashion! :D I've also happened to forget to mention that over the course of the story, it will tie directly into the movies, with obvious AU. I can't believe that I forgot to put that in the summary, but whatever- I'm just glad that I caught it now! Anyway, onward!**

4.

_It's been a few weeks now, and working under James has been somewhat of a breeze. As long as my work is done before the end of my night, I don't have to hear him grumbling about it in the morning. I'm simply glad that no one has seen through my façade. Even if they did, they'd say something right?_

_ He's been stopping over a lot more recently. Mostly, he comes to talk, but every time (and I still giggle at this sometimes) he wants to just wander around in my garden. I don't think I'll ever grow tired of it. He always has that sense of wonder about his face when he walks in, and he always ends up staring at the bouquet in the square, as if he's trying to figure out what the "missing piece" (as Sophie says) is._

_ I'm thinking of telling him a part of my past. I'm not quite sure how to come about doing this yet, but I'm pretty sure I'll tell him when he stares at those roses. _

_ I've heard some nasty rumors about the Crown back home. Some people that are moving here say that the King is furious that I've run away, but he's not doing anything about it._

_ Good. I hope he leaves me alone. Daddy didn't train me in combat for nothing; I just hope that I don't have to use it._

_ Narelle_

She closed her journal, and set her pen back into the ink. She looked out to the setting sun, and stared at the reds and oranges in the sky. Her hair was already tied back and secured by a black bow; she already had most of her uniform on, she was just procrastinating the last bits, like her coat and her shoes.

Sophie gently opened the door.

"M'lady," she said softly. "It's almost time."

Narelle's eyes fell back to her desk, and she nodded. She stood, slipped into her shoes, and grabbed her coat from the back of her chair. She couldn't shake a growing sense of dread, and she's only felt this way once before.

"Sophie," she started.

"Don't tell me you feel it," Sophie demanded.

Narelle looked into her maiden's eyes and sadly nodded.

"This patrol is just like any other," Sophie reassured. "Nothing's going to happen. I promise."

"I'll take your word for it, but if anyth-"

"Go, Narelle. You'll be late if we discuss this further."

Divvy-ing up the teams for patrol went rather smoothly. Narelle had each of her Lieutenants commanding a good sized team of troopers, and after she ordered which group to go where, they set off into the night. She had a small squad of troopers under her own command, and they marched down the street.

They came to an intersection, and Narelle held up her hand. Everyone instantly stopped. She turned to them.

"Split up into teams of two," she ordered. "Get the back roads, and check alleys. Don't use violence unless it's absolutely necessary."

After some commotion as to who was partnered with who, the men eventually wandered off to their own part of town. She hoped at least most of them would return at end of shift- she thought she'd earned the respect of at least a decent number of soldiers.

She heard footsteps behind her, and she whirled around. Hand on her sword, her stern eyes met James's own tired ones.

"Captain," she said, making sure her voice was disguised enough. She saluted him. "Didn't think you'd be up this late, sir."

"Things have changed," was his reply. "And you can just call me James, Mister Ketterling."

"Michael, sir."

"Right. Well," he gave a quick sigh. "I was notified at about sundown that one of your Lieutenants is at home sick. His house-maiden sent a note, and I thought I should stay and cover for him."

"I noticed he was gone, sir, but I didn't think anything of it. He's been late a few times to be quite honest. I was going to talk to you in the morning about it, but since you're here…"

"Don't bother. He's got enough going on at home, he doesn't need this on his plate. Anyway, I see you don't have a patrol partner. Do you mind?"

"Not at all, sir."

"Cut the 'sir' then. I get enough of that during the day."

She half smiled. "All right."

They walked through the streets, making small talk, and catching up on the town's latest rumors. They only stopped talking to yell at a few of the drunks, but their orders fell mostly on deaf ears. The pair continued on.

"Michael," James started. "May I ask if you know anything about the new-ish lady that lives in the port?"

Internally, she rolled her eyes. _Why in the world does _everyone _ask me about _me?! she thought.

"What do you mean?" was her reply.

"Well," James sighed again. "She got here about the same time that you started. I was just wondering if you two had ever crossed paths on the voyage from England."

"We might have," she replied, "but if we did, it was only for a moment. She was always in such a hurry whenever I see her."

"That doesn't surprise me." James chuckled lightly.

The two officers rounded the corner, and entered the glow of the lanterns overhead. Narelle spotted a man near some crates against the wall of a tavern. She nonchalantly watched him as he gazed at the pair, and started sauntering over.

"Captain," she said. "That man."

James's eyes swept up to look at the drunken mess coming towards them.

"You two'er officers?" the man slurred.

"Yes," James replied coolly, "we're officers of the law."

"And you, shrimp?" He eyed Narelle.

Her eyes narrowed. She certainly wasn't gigantic, but she was a few inches shorter than both the man and James.

"I'd respect the officer in front of you if I were you," James warned.

The drunk shoved Narelle, and she fell to the cobblestoned ground. He threw a punch at James. He dodged the flying fist, and threw some of his own back at the raging man.

Narelle got up, brushed the dirt off of her pants, and snapped her head back up when she heard James grunt. He was on the ground, blood escaping his mouth. She took this to her advantage, and entered the fight. She bobbed between punches, threw a couple of her own, and even landed a kick to his stomach. He backed away, briefly holding his gut, and looked back up at her with fury in his eyes.

Punches were flying in left and right from the man, and although she was trying her best, she only managed to block roughly 95% of them. A few punches caught her in the shoulder, and the next thing she knew, she was pinned against the wall, her feet dangling a foot from the ground. Blood seeped out of her nose and into her mouth. He leaned in close to her.

"I know who ya are," he snarled.

A shot rang out, and the man's eyes went wide. He dropped Narelle, who fell to the ground. Her hat fell off, and most of her hair came loose from the bow, hiding her face from view.

_Well shit, _she thought. _Guess now's a good time to come clean to him._

"Michael, are you alright?" came James's voice. He trotted over, and held out a hand to help her up.

She took his hand, stood up, and flipped her hair from her face.

"I'm fine," she said as she dropped the disguise in her voice. "Are you okay? You're still bleeding from your mouth."

James took a step back in complete shock. His mouth parted slightly, and his eyebrows furrowed together.

"James, it's me," she said. "Nar-"

"I know who you are, and it's Captain to you," he cut her off. Shock gave way to anger. "You should've said something right away instead of hiding this from me."

"Yeah, like that can come up in casual conversation. 'Oh hey James, nice to see you. By the way, my father gave me a commission in the Royal Navy, so I'm pretty much the only woman in the military in England. But hey, no worries, I'm as strong as those guys over there, and the only difference between me and them is that I have more style when I fight, so hey I'll meet you at work okay?' Like that would happen."

"Just go."

Narelle froze. "What?" she asked.

"Go home. You're finished for the night. I'll wrap-"

"No."

"What did you say?" James was back to being in disbelief.

"I said _no, _Captain. Like it or not, I have the same rank as you, and this is _my _shift as commanding officer. _I _will wrap up this shift, and _I _will dismiss _my _men. I don't need someone else doing that for me. I can handle them."

She whistled once, and heard boots thunder through the streets.

"You'll see," she said as she untied her bow. Her hair fell around her shoulders and down her back. She turned on her heel and marched off. She didn't quite care if James was following or not. She stopped only to pick up her fallen hat, and she placed it on her head, and continued marching on.

She came up to the large group of confused soldiers, and was pleased to see that all of them returned. They stood in column formation, with the two other Lieutenants at the head of their groups.

"Everyone," she started. They all looked to her, and a few gasped. Some soldiers' faces turned to disgust, and even anger. All of a sudden, a voice rang out.

"I knew you were a lady! Just didn't know when you'd tell us!"

Narelle's eyebrow shot up. "Well? Are you guys going to shun me?"

The men looked to one another, and most shook their heads.

"I asked you ladies a question," she stated, then yelled, "Are you going to SHUN ME?!"

"NO MA'AM!" was the collective and simultaneous shout.

"Good! Head to the Fort. We're done for the night."

The three columns of troopers marched off, leaving Narelle and a baffled James behind in their wake.

"How about you?" she asked. "What's your answer, _James?"_

He shook his head, smiling. "It's going to take some getting used to," he replied, "but no. I won't shun you either, but take heed: not every man will be as understanding as your troopers."

"Baby steps, James, baby steps."

He shook his head again, and the pair walked to Fort Charles, eager to put this long night behind them.

**Soo…. I meant to save this part for later, but since I couldn't come up with anything else, and fluff really isn't my thing, I basically gave in and wrote this for you guys. Thanks to the two reviewers that left feedback. I was originally going to post this tomorrow, but hey, I've neglected you guys, and I wouldn't be surprised if you were raging at me through the months that I've disappeared. So, until next time, I'll see you guys later! :D ~Emy022**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys, just thought I'd post this quick before the holidays. I told myself (and my best friends) that I'd post another chapter out before we all get swept up in eating cookies, watching epic movies, opening Christmas gifts, and the like. Anyway, here it is! Before you read, I just want to wish everyone a happy holidays to everyone celebrating! At the most, I'll see you next year, but most likely I'll see you a few days after Christmas! Enjoy! :D**

5.

Sophie bounded through the door to Narelle's bedroom early in the morning. She flung open the windows, effectively shining the light into the sleeping woman's face and rousing her from her slumber. Narelle turned over, only to be bathed in more light, and she groaned.

"You _revealed _yourself?" Sophie shouted.

Narelle's hand flew up, and gave a dismissing wave.

"No! I'm _not _leaving! Do you realize what you've done?" Sophie's cheeks were starting to turn red, not only because of the shouting, but because she was shouting at her _employer. _She hasn't yelled at Narelle like this since she was a teenager, and even then, it wasn't quite like this.

Narelle sat up, and rubbed her eyes. She peered at Sophie through her mostly-closed eyelids. Eventually she swung her legs out of the bed, and she stood.

"Listen, Sophie," she said, her voice soft from just waking up. "It's not like I had a choice. Last night…" she trailed off.

"Did you get into a fight last night?" Sophie asked.

The brunette nodded, and she went to her mirror. She shrugged off the piece of nightgown covering her shoulder, and made a face. Her shoulder, once tanned from the sun, now was mostly purple, black, and blue from the drunken man punching her so much. It hurt a bit when she moved her arm, but she was pretty sure she would be okay.

Sophie gasped.

"What happened?" she demanded.

Narelle covered her shoulder and spoke to Sophie through the mirror.

"Drunk from the tavern," she said. "James and I wer-"

"James?! I thought he was the day officer?"

"One of my lieutenants was ill, so he stayed and covered the patrol part. Anyway, he and I were partnered for the streets, and we were trying to get one of the drunken men home, when he attacked us."

"How did he take the reveal?"

"He was pissed, for sure, but as soon as I told my men- well I basically showed them, 'cause I took my hair down- he came around. I just have no idea what it'll be like today."

"I'm sure it'll be mostly fine, but I must give you a letter. It arrived shortly before I came in to yell and scream. I apologize for that by the way; I didn't know you didn't have a choice."

"Not a big deal, Sophie. Just remember that you've screamed at me before anyway."

The maiden handed over the letter, and Narelle carefully opened it. She noticed that the wax seal was the governor's.

_Must be important, _she thought.

She read the letter, and gave a face.

_Miss Westbrook,_

_ I understand a situation popped up last night, and now the night shift knows that they have a female commanding officer. I heard the whole story from Captain Norrington, who felt that it was necessary to contact me. Good to know that you only told your men when you didn't have a choice. From what I've heard, your men took it rather well, and for that, I'm very grateful._

_ Now that the entire fort basically knows, I'm going to switch you to the day shift. There's more than one reason for the switch, so you should talk to Norrington for that. I'm also approving you to hunt down pirates just like you did in London. You'll be fighting alongside your troopers, just like you patrolled with them in the night. I'll be putting you under Norrington's command on the _Dauntless. _I doubt he's seen you fight with a sword, and it would be a great place to show him what you're truly capable of._

_ Take today off, and just go see Captain Norrington. I'm pretty sure he's at the Fort, even with the wild night you two had. No pun intended._

_ Hope you're doing well,_

_ Governor Swann_

"Day shift?" she moaned. "I might as well just hold up a sign saying 'come get me, I'm a female officer.'"

"Now, Miss Narelle," Sophie said. "This is a step up. Who knows what you'll see?"

"A lot of sober people." Narelle crossed her arms. She sighed, got up, and went behind the changing screen.

"What color today?" Sophie asked.

"Something light. I love the green one that my not-so-evil uncle gave me."

Sophie shook her head, laughing. "You mean your uncle William?"

"Yes. Him."

A good twenty minutes later, Narelle emerged from behind the changing screen in the dress, flattening out some of the lace on her front. She went to her vanity, brushed her hair, and started pinning it up. She only pinned half of it up, and left the bottom half down, the curls bouncing down her back.

She finally left the house, and started down the street. She passed by a few of the day guards, and smiled as they gave small, discreet salutes to her. She gave a small wave to a few that she knew, and they smiled and nodded back to her.

Eventually, she made it to the Fort. She nodded and smiled to the guards at the door. They smiled, and waved her in.

_I almost feel like a celebrity, _she thought as she smiled.

She knocked on James's office door, and heard him say for her to come in. She slowly opened the door, and smirked as she found that James didn't even look up when he spoke. He was busily writing away on some paperwork, and only spoke again when the door closed, still not looking up.

"Theo, I know that's you," he said wearily. "You don't have to go sneaking around, as Gilette would say 'like a sneaky ninja'. Just say what you have to say."

"I just want to know why I'm being switched to the day shift, James," Narelle said calmly.

His head snapped up at the different sounding voice, and his look of determination faded into a kind smile.

"Sorry," he said. "I was definitely expecting Groves. He comes snooping around at this time, and the one time I was prepared, it wasn't him."

"Whoops," she replied. "Sorry to rain on your parade."

"Not any trouble, Miss Narelle. Anyway, to answer your question for the schedule change, I just received a note from the governor that I'm being promoted in two months, so I want you to be under my direct command."

"Is this so you don't have to do any paperwork?" Narelle crossed her arms and gave a mischievous smile.

"Well, if that's what it takes. Besides, you probably have handwriting that's more legible than mine."

She playfully rolled her eyes. "So you're being promoted, huh?"

"Yes. I'm pretty sure you have to be there, so I won't bother with an invitation."

"That's fine. You can say that you sent one, but I couldn't come, just to keep the rest of society happy."

"Makes sense to me. Now, you start tomorrow morning, so come early. I'll show you what to do as far as working the day shift."

"Sure. Are you coming by later?"

He looked thoughtful. "I don't know. I have a lot of work today."

"It's not a big deal if you come or not. Just drop by whenever you need to."

"I'll keep that in mind." He smiled.

She smiled back, and left his office to go back home.

**Two months later…**

The sun was intense on the day of James's promotion. Everyone at the Fort was busy getting the square ready for people, and officers were hard at work by making sure everyone under their command was doing their part. Chairs were neatly lined, and the troopers that were part of the ceremony were practicing for the event.

Narelle stood towards the small set of stairs where she would be standing for the ceremony, watching everyone do their job. She tied her hair back today- she didn't need the public to see her as a woman. The past couple of months flew by for her. James stopped by a lot on the days leading up to today, expressing his worries about being the new Commodore. She kept reassuring her that everything would be fine, but the look she gave while she spoke made him doubt her. The sense of dread has been bothering her lately, and she wasn't sure if it was because of her, or because of James.

She hoped that nothing bad would happen to him. She noticed she started to have feelings for him, and Sophie noticed almost immediately. She liked spending time with him, whether it was at the Fort in her uniform talking business, or at her house when he stopped over. Narelle thought that maybe he had feelings for her too, from the way he leaned towards her when they spoke, when he smiled at her when she said "hi", and when he softly touched her shoulder when he looked at some paperwork she asked about.

She shook her head, clearing her mind. _I can't let that get in the way, especially today, _she thought. _Gotta focus on the ceremony today._

"I think everything's set," Theo said, scaring Narelle and making her squeak.

"Damn, Theo!" she gasped. "You enjoy that way too much."

He grinned. "Sure do," he replied.

"Yes, I think everything's set, _by the way._ I think we're ready for people to come in."

"Okay, I'll give the word. Would you let James know that we're almost ready?"

She nodded, and left to his office. She knocked on his door, and heard a very weary "come in" reply to her. She grew concerned, and opened the door.

He was at his desk, head in his hands, covering his face. He sighed.

"James," she said softly. His fingers moved and he opened his eyes. He slowly dropped his arms to his desk, and looked wearily at her.

"Narelle," he said. "I don't know."

She gave a half-smile. "Come on, it's not like you're getting married."

He smiled lightly. "I suppose not."

"You can do this," she said. "I'm here to tell you that we're starting to let people in, and we're almost ready for you."

James slowly stood, and smoothed out his new coat. He came around his desk and looked at himself in the mirror. Narelle grabbed his ceremonial hat, complete with feathers she noticed, and gave it to him. As he placed it on his head, she straightened his bow tie.

"Men and bow ties," she mumbled. "I will never understand it."

"You don't have to," he replied. "I hardly understand it myself."

Satisfied with the offending piece of fabric, she gave a small smile. "All set." She opened the door, and poked her head out, and most of the people were there already. Some were milling about, chatting away, others were seated, anxious for the ceremony to start. She closed the door.

"I have to go," she said. James made a face, but nodded.

"Go ahead," he replied. "I have to make my way to the front of the Fort anyway. I'll see you after?"

She nodded, and left.

Eventually, she made her way to her designated spot. She stood next to Theo, and nudged him.

"Hey," she murmured.

"Hey," he replied. "You told him I assume?"

"Yep. He's nervous."

"Who wouldn't? This is a big deal for everyone."

"My ceremony was unofficial."

"That's because no one wanted to let everyone know that you're a girl."

An officer standing on the other side of Theo shushed them.

"We're starting!" he hissed.

Her eyes narrowed. "I'll find you later," she warned.

The ceremony went smoothly. She kept her eyes on James when she could, and was pleased to see his calm composure. Either it was pushed out of his mind, or he wore a very convincing stoic expression. She watched in slight awe as he twirled his new sword around his body, thoroughly inspecting it. She applauded graciously with everyone else, bringing the promotion ceremony to a close.

Narelle was speaking to Andrew and Theo when James joined the group. Andrew and Theo shook his hand.

"Nice show," Theo said to him. "Were you nervous?"

"Only when I twirled the new sword. I thought I lost it to the floor once."

"Not at all," Andrew chimed in. "Looked great, chap."

"Thanks," James replied. Narelle caught him looking at her, and she smiled. He smiled back, but only for a moment. He looked past her, and froze. He started muttering something about needing to leave, and he would talk to them later, and he left.

Confused, Narelle looked behind her, and saw the governor's daughter, Elizabeth Swann. The petite woman wore a yellow dress, and her hair was all pinned up, save for one curl.

_Dress must be new, _she thought. _I haven't seen her in that before. _

Narelle and Elizabeth were acquaintances; she'd only seen the governor's daughter at some parties, surrounded by the ladies of high society. The two had only spoken to each other a few times, and Narelle wasn't sure that Elizabeth liked the role she played in Port Royal. She had quite a fascination with pirates, and has accidentally mentioned that she'd like to meet one. Narelle simply responded to her that she should "keep her mind open, and don't let anyone else interfere." Personally, Narelle didn't care for the pirate folk- she's killed scores of them anyway- and she'd rather have Elizabeth stay on society's good side.

James went up to Elizabeth and pulled her away from the crowd. Narelle heard Theo and Andrew high-five, and laugh.

"What's going on?" Narelle asked.

"Norrington's going to propose to Elizabeth," Theo said.

Narelle winced, and felt her hopes and her heart shatter.

"Everything okay, Narelle?" Andrew asked.

She bit her lip slightly, and nodded. "Fine," she replied.

"We should head out," Theo said. "I'm sure tha-"

"ELIZABETH!" James shouted. Narelle's head snapped back up, concern washing away the hurt she felt. She trotted over to him as he shrugged off his coat. She glanced down, saw the splash, and smacked a hand on his shoulder.

"Sir, the rocks," she said.

"It's a miracle _she _missed them!" Andrew shouted.

Angry, James turned away. He quickly put his coat back on, and Narelle caught some movement off the pier. Someone jumped into the water.

"Commodore, we should head to the docks," she said. "I just saw someone dive into the water to save her."

Narelle, Theo, Andrew, James, Governor Swann, and a bunch of redcoats made their way down to the pier, just as a man hauled Elizabeth up from the water. Narelle noticed she didn't have her dress on anymore, just her underdress and her corset. Murtogg and Mullroy hefted her off of the man's shoulder.

"Not breathing," announced Murtogg in panic.

"Out o' the way!" shouted the man. He pulled out a knife and slit open her corset. Elizabeth instantly started coughing up water, finally opening her eyes.

"On your feet," James said, his sword pointing at the mysterious man. He slowly stood, and James took him over to Andrew.

"Commodore, please," Elizabeth pleaded. "Do you really intend to kill my rescuer?"

James sighed, and dropped the man from his grasp. He held out his hand.

"I believe thanks are in order," he said. Hesitantly, the man took it, and James pulled his arm closer into view.

"Had a brush with the East India Trading Company did we, pirate?" James asked.

"Hang him," the governor said, wrapping his coat around his daughter.

James pushed up the pirate's loose sleeve.

"Well, well," he said as he dropped the offending arm. "Jack Sparrow."

"_Cap'n _Jack Sparrow," said Jack, grinning.

**Holy. Shit. Almost 2600 words…. I can't… I simply sat down to write, and I thought, well maybe I should start incorporating the movie, so I set up for the promotion ceremony, and added some of Narelle's feels in there, then it kinda went downhill from there. I write on Word, and this chapter alone is almost 6 full pages long…. I haven't written anything this long in forever… but anyway, hope you enjoyed. I kinda had to leave this one as I did, or I would scare myself off for a while. Anyways, I'll see you next time! :D**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guys! Wow. I didn't anticipate that I had to work as much as I did over break, but whatever. I had the beginning in my head for a while, and wrote it down a few days later, but I knew that I had to include something from our lovely Narelle's past, as it has been mentioned before. So BEHOLD! Here you are! Enjoy!**

6.

"Captain!" Gillette shouted. "The _Interceptor!_"

Standing on the _Dauntless _with James, Narelle watched in dread as her ship sailed away. Jack shouted something and waved his hat, as another man, Will Turner she was told, was tying the mast. Someone was mumbling something next to Narelle, but she didn't hear it. She was focused on the fact that _her ship _was sailing away. James gave her the ship when he moved up to the _Dauntless,_ and she got the _Interceptor_ for her own missions.

"Captain!" Andrew yelled.

Narelle snapped back to the present, and glanced to the deck and back up to the fleeing ship.

"Follow the Commodore's orders," she muttered. She descended the stairs, and went to the captain's cabin. She slammed the door shut, ripped off her hat, and sighed. She saw a book resting on the bed, and looked at the gleaming title, _The Most Notorious Pirates of the Modern Day._ Her anger spiked, and she hurled it across the room, bouncing off the wall, and skittering out of sight. She sighed again, took a few steps back until she hit the wall, and slid down and sat. She wrapped her arms around her legs, and her head fell on her knees.

The door opened and closed again. She didn't look up, even when she heard someone sit beside her.

"It wasn't your fault," came a familiar baritone voice.

"I should've known something like this would happen," she mumbled.

"How are you supposed to know that he would steal your ship?"

"You gave me that ship." She looked up and met his eyes. "I just keep thinking that I've let you down, like I've failed you."

"Well don't," he said. "No one could've predicted that Jack would steal your ship. Besides, the _Dauntless _is going to be your ship until we catch the _Interceptor._"

"What about you?"

"Consider me a passenger, but one that has more authority than you. Don't worry, I won't get in the way, unless you need a break."

He stood, held out his hand for her, and helped her up. She went to leave, when she heard James grunt. She stopped.

"What?" she asked without looking.

"My book," he replied. "It was on the bed when I saw it last."

"Check under the bed, or behind your bookcase."

"You threw it, didn't you?"

She smiled, and tried to hide it. "I have no idea how it got there." She left, and then turned back, remembering something.

"Oh, hey. By the way, I have a question."

James's head popped up from under the bed. "What's that?" he asked.

"Do you still love her?"

"Yes," he immediately replied.

Her gaze fell to the floor, and she nodded once before leaving the room.

Night had fallen, and Narelle was still wandering around the deck, chatting with her crew, and answering most of the questions that came up. Over time, more of the men eventually made their way below deck to sleep, until only she and the helmsman remained on deck. She maintained her distance from him, he was crabby about being at the helm all night, and watched the waves mostly.

She heard someone walking around on deck. Looking over her shoulder, she saw James slowly walking over to her, his hands behind his back.

"Lovely night," he commented.

She gave a half smile. "You're going to have to do better than that," she replied.

He sighed. He leaned on the rail of the ship and picked at the splintering wood, not looking at her.

"Tell me about one of your roses."

She looked back over the waves, as if she was searching the water for the appropriate memory. Her eyes then swept over to him.

"Remember when we met in Port Royal?" she asked.

"Don't tell me that's one of your roses," he said with a smirk.

"It wasn't the first time we've met, you know," she continued.

He stopped picking at the wood. His eyebrows furrowed together, and he looked up at her.

"Yes it was," he replied.

She gave a sad smile. "No, James, it wasn't."

"Then, by all means, enlighten me."

"I was sixteen…"

**8 Years Earlier**

Narelle looked out the very tiny window in her bedroom. The tower she was locked in was the newest addition to the palace, and she felt like she was in prison. Worse, she felt like an animal. Lightning flashed, and the clap of thunder was not far behind it, as she stared outside.

Her hair was neatly combed, and she was in her nightgown. She heard people talking on the other side of her door, but she couldn't make out what they were saying. She knew the two guards at her door were most likely talking to Sophie, but they could be talking to the King for all she cared.

The door eventually opened, and Sophie entered. Narelle kept staring out the window, only blinking when the lightning struck again and again.

"You should sleep," Sophie suggested. "I think the King will let you out tomorrow, so you should rest up."

"Then tomorrow I will leave this wretched place," was Narelle's curt reply.

"Where would you go?" Sophie fired back.

"The Caribbean. There's a settlement there called Port Royal, and I could blend in there. No one would even know."

"The King would know."

"Like he cares. He wouldn't waste a man on my life."

"You know him. He could send a letter ordering your execution on your arrival. You can't run from him."

Narelle whirled around to face her. "You think being locked in this damned tower makes any difference?"

Sophie stayed silent.

"I don't need a bed warmer," Narelle continued. "I'm going to bed."

"Very well," came Sophie's small reply. "Good night."

Narelle was asleep shortly after crawling into bed. The lightning continued to flash, and the thunder kept clapping and booming throughout the night. A few hours later, one thunderous boom scared her awake, and she sat up in her bed. She saw a strange glow under her door, and shadows that kept moving.

Another flash of lightning lit the room, and the door opened at the same time the thunder clapped through, and her two cousins, Isabella and Margaret, stood in the doorway, each one holding something dark in their hands.

"Grab her," Isabella said, and two guards that guard her door bounded into the room. They each took Narelle's arms and dragged her out of her room, and down the spiraling stairs of the tower. She tried fighting against them, but their grip only tightened on her.

They eventually made it outside the palace into the pouring rain. The two guards threw her to the ground, and left. Margaret and Isabella laughed, as Narelle managed to prop an arm up and look over her shoulder at the two sisters.

"You know what _these _are, right Narelle?" Margaret sneered, holding her dark bundle in front for Narelle to see. She dropped most of what she was holding, and held onto the handle, turning the dark mysterious material into a long whip. Isabella did the same, and they laughed again.

"You need a better punishment," Isabella said, "so we wanted to do it ourselves."

"Needless to say, I don't think Daddy will let you out tomorrow," Margaret said in a sickly sweet voice. "I think you'll need tomorrow to heal."

"I hope you'll live long enough for me to kill you two myself," Narelle spat back.

"I doubt _you'll _live into next week," Isabella warned. "Infection can be pretty nasty, I hear."

She delivered the first crack of her whip, tearing at both the fabric of her nightgown, and her flesh. Narelle grunted, but didn't scream. Over and over, the two girls beat her to their satisfaction. On and on it went; Narelle thought she'd been out here for hours. She only screamed when the whip dug deeper into an already open wound. Eventually, Isabella and Margaret grew bored, and they simply left Narelle out in the rain, the ground around her in a red puddle of rain and blood. Only then, did she cry, when she knew they were gone. She laid there, her hopes of ever escaping England being shattered in front of her.

She heard boots slosh through the rain. Realizing they must have discovered her, she heard someone gasp, and ran over to her. The person came into view, and a man rested a hand on her arm. She looked into his eyes, tears freely flowing.

"What's your name?" he asked her. "What happened to you?"

She sniffled before she spoke. "My name is Narelle."

His eyes grew wide.

"_Princess _Narelle?" he stared in shock.

She nodded.

"What has happened, my lady? Who did this?"

"My… cousins," she replied. The shock was starting to wear off, and not only the pain started to set in, but the fatigue from the blood loss. She blinked a few times, and her eyes started to close.

"No," the man said. "Stay awake. Let me get you inside."

He carefully picked her up, and she rested her head against him, slowly losing consciousness.

"One question," she whispered as they made it inside the palace. "No, wait. Two questions."

"Fire away," he replied softly.

"Who did you get your eyes from?"

He gave a chuckle.

"My mother."

"Okay, and the other question: what's your name?" Her eyes started to close again.

"James Norrington."

**Present Day**

"I wanted to properly thank you," Narelle continued, "but the day after, I heard from Sophie that you had left for Port Royal, and I never thought I would see you again."

James simply stared at her, still in shock of the memory.

"I had thought about that night many times," he slowly replied. "When I heard that a Narelle was coming to the port, I didn't think anything of it. I thought it was just some lady who had the same name as you."

"Yeah, I know all about that. The Princess's name is Narelle, so every girl that is born while she's around will be named Narelle, because everyone wants a princess in their house."

"I still can't get over the fact that you're the Princess of England."

"Well, remember, I'm the true heir to the throne, but since my uncle moved in, I've been snuffed out. My cousins assisted in that."

Narelle started to walk away, but she paused.

"Thank you," she said over her shoulder. "Thank you for rescuing me."

She continued walking, descended the stairs, and found her bunk amongst the sleeping crew. She shrugged off her coat, removed her hat, and untied her bow, before crawling into her hammock and falling asleep.

**So, yeah. All that happened. I know this raises even **_**more **_**questions, like "Why is her uncle the King?" "Why isn't she queen of England?" "What the general hell is happening?". Don't worry! More will be revealed another time. Classes started up again, and I'm establishing a routine, so that I can get not only all of my homework done while balancing the two jobs that I have, but so that I can still crank out some fanfiction-y goodness for you! Thank you to all those who have added this onto your Alerts, and I'd love to hear from you! :D**


	7. Chapter 7

**Haha! I'm back! I had to get this down, and when I saw that it had concluded itself, I thought I'd edit, change and then crank! However, I'm kinda pissed that the line breaks don't work on the website, so I added some bold 0's for hopefully some easier transitions. This will be especially helpful here in this one. Don't worry about the weird spacing between sections, that's just the line break disasters. So, ready for a ride? *whisper* there's another memory in here!**

7.

A few weeks passed on the voyage. Each night, Narelle watched the waves, deep in thought, and almost every time, James would join her. Some nights were spent in silence, both officers watching the water for an hour or two, but most nights they spoke about anything and everything. He only asked about her past when he felt the most curious, and she shared stories when she was comfortable. Her commission definitely was discussed early on.

**000**

**9 Years Earlier, in June.**

Narelle had just finished with her tutor for the day, and was in her room, changing into knickers and a shirt. She tied her hair back and grabbed her sword off its stand in her room. She trotted out to the inner courtyard in the palace, and met three naval officers. She saluted all three, and they nodded.

"Commodore Ketterling," she said. "Commodore Morris. Admiral Kenning."

"Your majesty," they all replied.

Morris spoke first. "Are you ready?" he asked. "Today will be tougher than last time."

"I'm ready."

"Your father has granted your request for a commission in the Royal Navy, and we want you to start off on the right foot," Kenning stated.

Narelle smiled. She finally got what she's been begging and wishing for- a real commission in the Navy.

"If you pass today, or if you're still at least on your feet by the end of the day," Ketterling spoke, "you'll be admitted as a Midshipman, instead of just a Sailor. You'll have to disguise yourself, but Sophie has mastered that talent I hear."

She smiled, and nodded as her cheeks flushed pink. She has snuck out of the palace a few times during the night, dressed as a man. The only time she was ever caught, her father gave her a lecture that she never forgot. She remembered the lecture every time she snuck out after that night.

She grew confused, and spoke up. "Why a Midshipman? Why do I get the jump up?"

"You have navigational abilities, and not just from reading a map," Kenning replied. "Sailing by the stars is a tough thing to learn, and I've never seen anyone learn that skill as fast as you did."

She nodded. "So what's my challenge?"

"It's more than just us three today," Morris said. "All throughout the district, there's our men disguised. Some are pirates, some are drunk townspeople, and some are criminals. Your job, is to not only defeat us three in combat, but you'll have to go and save the town from the criminals. Your limitations, however, are the challenge."

"Besides us three," Ketterling continued, "swords are prohibited. Pistols too."

"So, how will I fight then?"

"Some situations are delicate," the Admiral warned. "There are circumstances where using your sword or pistol will scare the citizens. You must ensure peace, not cause chaos. Riots are the absolute last thing we need on the streets. Negotiating with others, or commanding the local patrol will be to your advantage."

"I have the power of command?" Narelle asked.

All three nodded. "If you defeat us, there's a blue coat right over there," he continued, and pointed to a wooden pole in the corner of the courtyard. Hanging on the pole was an officer's coat.

"Put that on, and any patrol will listen to you."

"One other limitation," Morris remembered. "You have until dusk to finish. After you 'defeat' the trooper, he will come to us and vouch for you. After dusk, the troopers will all vanish from the streets, and will report to us."

"There's fifteen troopers throughout the district," Ketterling finished. "Only our most loyal troopers have agreed to today, so we know for sure that they'll return."

"So," Kenning said, as he drew his sword. The two Commodores followed suit, and Narelle immediately responded. "Try to disarm us."

"Do your worst," she grumbled.

Dodging, bobbing, and weaving, Narelle fought all three officers at once. She already knew that defeating them was going to be a challenge; three against one was already pushing her boundaries and comfort zone in combat. Although she was mostly on the defense, she saw a weak point in one of the Commodores, and took advantage. She whirled around, rammed her elbow into his gut, and disarmed him as he doubled over. Now armed with two blades, she started to gain confidence as the two remaining opponents started getting faster with their attacks. The three seemed to dance as metal twirled around them, almost every attack blocked, and every step anticipated.

Eventually, the other Commodore started wearing down, and fatigue started to set in. She blocked more attacks, seized the moment, and disarmed him. Now down to the Admiral, his attacks became stronger, forcing Narelle to block with both swords instead of just one. However, her attacks came more frequent, and were faster than his. She saw the opportunity, knocked his sword from his hand, and rested one blade against his neck.

"Dead," she said, panting.

"Go, Narelle," he replied, his breathing also labored. "Save the people!"

She dropped both blades, grabbed the coat, and put it on as she ran out of the palace.

**000**

"I'm guessing you saved everyone," James said one day.

Narelle nodded. "It was really hard," she replied. "One of them took a lady hostage, and I thought he was going to 'kill' her, but I had sent a patrolman around to flank, and he was eventually defeated."

"Wow. The only test I had was saving a lady from a real drunk, and that was years ago."

"I figured. They only tested me to that extent because they wanted me prepared for anything and everything."

"They did well," he said softly.

Her cheeks flushed pink. "Thanks," she whispered.

**000**

The following days rolled by, and both Narelle and James were enjoying the warm Caribbean sun after spending most of the morning working on paperwork together. They stayed near the helm; Narelle had her eyes closed as she basked in the sunlight.

"Narelle," came James's voice.

"Hmm?" was her reply.

"You asked a few weeks ago a question that I thought was ridiculous, but now…" he trailed off.

Narelle thought back, and opened her eyes, finally realizing what he was talking about.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"I don't find the question ridiculous anymore," he answered.

"I need you to clarify."

"You asked me in the beginning of the voyage if I still loved Elizabeth."

"And you said that you did."

"Well," he stammered. Color flushed through his face, but his eyes remained on hers. "I would like to change my answer."

"Why?" Narelle's heart fluttered.

"Well, we've been out here for weeks. There's no sign of her anywhere, and we haven't even run into the _Interceptor_-"

"Don't remind me," she mumbled.

"But the more I thought about it, the less convinced I was that she loved me back. It made me realize that maybe the frilly type really isn't mine."

"Frilly?! I can be frilly," she fired back.

"When you _need_ to, not when you _want _to," he replied as he held up a hand to calm her. "And that's what I know that I like now."

Narelle's eyes widened slightly.

"I- uhm," she started.

"Don't," he cut her off. "I just want to say this, then let you think about it, because I know _I'll _need to think about it."

"Okay."

"You… are beautiful, Narelle. I knew my feelings were fading from Elizabeth, and they were growing for you. Every time we talked late at night, I was nervous and wanted to ask you to stay longer, but I just let you go, and I would kick myself."

"But you never asked me to stay."

"Yes. I kicked myself every night."

"Ouch."

He partially rolled his eyes, but continued on. "So, here goes: I love you, Narelle, and when I sort out this mess between me and Elizabeth, I want to be closer to you."

Her breath hitched. "I… I… want to be closer to you too, James," she said. "I.. love you too. I have for a while, and I thought you felt the same, but…"

"I'm sorry," he said immediately.

"It's fine. Let's just find her, and clean up the mess you unintentionally made."

**So, I think this is kind of long awaited, I mean, ya know? I usually make the unintentional mistake of establishing the love interest connection too early, and after reading some really well written fics, I decided to pace myself, instead of just diving in without establishing some flirty, courtship thing before full on love. In this case, it's more the scenes that the two were talking instead of 48,000 pages of dialogue, which I also am trying to stray from, and add more detail. **

**So, yeah. There it is. Thanks for the review, and thank you to all who view this fic, and I would love to hear from you more! :D**


	8. Chapter 8

**After what feels like forever, I've found my muse once again and decided to post a chapter while I'm supposed to be studying Blood Bank for my exam tomorrow. I should note, however, that the dialogue might not exactly match the movie, but who cares? This is mine, dangit! Have fun! :D**

8.

_Finding almost an entire island on fire wasn't really what I had expected when we rescued Elizabeth. Not only that, but she was in the company of JACK SPARROW! I had him immediately arrested as soon as he stepped onto my "new" ship. When I asked him why he stole my ship from me, he simply said "pirate" and gave a grin. Thank goodness the governor was on board, or I don't think he would have made it back for his scheduled appointment with the gallows. I could tell James was getting angry, but not to the degree that I was. _

_ Speaking of James, now that his fiancée is on board, I hope they talk and end their engagement. That would simply be the best thing, since I can tell she doesn't really even _like _him, let alone want to marry him. Plus, the fact that he doesn't love her anymore makes it all the easier. And adding another fact that he told me he loves me makes it all the more satisfying. More on that later._

_ I just hope that we get home in one piece and the adventure can end. I really miss not only Sophie, but my bed at home. Never mind the people, I just want some uninterrupted sleep in my own bed!_

_ Yours,_

_ Narelle_

She set down her pen, and closed the ink. She looked out the window for a brief moment, before standing from her desk. She tightened her bow, and went outside on the deck.

"But we've got to save Will!" Elizabeth pleaded with her father.

"No!" was his reply. "We're here to bring you home, not to go gallivanting after pirates." He turned on his heel and started to walk away.

"Then you condemn him to death!"

The governor stopped, and turned with a somber expression. "The boy's fate is regrettable," he said, "but it was his choice to engage in piracy."

"To rescue _me, _to prevent anything from happening to me!"

Her father, walked away, and James ascended the stairs to the helm.

"Please, Commodore, I'm begging you. Do this for me," she pleaded, "as a wedding gift."

Narelle's eyes widened and gasped, James froze, and the whole crew held their breath as he slowly turned around to face her, shocked.

"Elizabeth," the governor started. "Are you accepting the Commodore's proposal?"

As soon as she said "yes," Narelle's shock gave way to anger. She met James's eyes with her own.

"Well, James?" she asked, acid dripping from her voice. "Where to?"

His eyes fell to the deck, thinking, then back up to where Jack was standing. "Mr. Sparrow, you will accompany these fine men to the helm and provide us with a bearing to Isla de Muerta." Murtogg and Mullroy each grabbed his arms.

"You will then spend the rest of the voyage contemplating all possible meanings of the phrase 'silent as the grave,'" James continued. "Do I make myself clear?"

"Inescapably," Jack replied.

The two troopers took Jack up the stairs, James took Elizabeth's arm and led her away, and Narelle angrily made her way to the side of the ship.

_I can't believe that woman! _she thought. _Why couldn't she just have waited until he told her?! SHE DOESN'T EVEN LIKE HIM!_

"Don't worry," came a voice, making Narelle jump. Theo leaned against the side of the ship as she smacked his arm.

"Will you knock it off with that?" she cried. "You are the _worst._"

"Sorry. What I was saying earlier, was that you shouldn't worry about this. James knows that she doesn't like him, and he loves you, so it shouldn't be long before he talks to you."

"I hope you're right." Narelle sighed, then a wave of realization swept over her, and she rounded on Theo again. "Wait, how do you know his feelings for me?"

Theo simply winked. "I cannot divulge that secret."

James re-emerged from where he went, which to Narelle it seemed like he took her to his cabin. Meeting up with her and Theo, he nodded at a few men as he strode over.

"What's the verdict?" Theo asked.

James sighed. "We didn't talk about it yet. I simply let her change into some trousers and a red coat, and she insisted on sleeping, so I left her there." He met his eyes with Narelle's. "Don't worry. Everything will be okay. I'm just letting her sleep, then she and I will talk."

"I have no doubt that you will," she replied. "I just want to get back to Port Royal and be done with this."

"As do I, Narelle," he said coolly. "As do I."

Night had fallen once again on the _Dauntless_, but the night was different than the normal midnight sail. Narelle walked the deck with Theodore, and watched over the sailors as they busily tied masts, loaded cannons, and checked muskets and swords. The grim silence was enough to keep Narelle on edge, but no fear crept in her mind. She remained relatively stoic as she met the eyes of a few sailors, fear evident and foremost in their heads.

"What do you think will happen?" Theo whispered. "What are our chances?"

"Assuming that Mr. Sparrow has been truthful, our chances are good. We can outgun the _Black Pearl, _and with our illustrious Commodore out with the marines, this'll all be over and we can be on our way back to Port Royal."

"Speaking of James," Theo glanced at her before returning his gaze to the battlefield before him, "you're not nervous for him at all?"

"I'm focusing on the job I need to do here, on the ship. As much as I want to worry, like a normal lady should, there's too much that I'm responsible for to be distracted. Besides, he's made it this far without me, and the same with me. I'm sure that we can make it through at least one battle without worrying for one another."

"Well, before he left, our lovely James decided that I should be in charge of protecting you." Theo dropped his voice lower. "Didn't want any harm coming to the _princess._"

"Is there _anything _that man didn't tell you?"

Theo smiled. "Your secrets are safe with me. And Andrew. James told him too."

Narelle raised an eyebrow, and sighed. "Should I tell you my favorite color too, while we're sharing everything about me?"

"I would love to know your favorite color. Can I guess? I think it's pink. Most ladies like pink. You seem like a pink type of person."

Narelle laughed lightly. "Not even close, Theo. One: I'm not like most ladies. Two: I really don't know what qualifies as a 'pink type of person' is."

"Well can I at least know what it is?"

"Someday, Theo. I haven't shared that piece of information with James, and I don't want you running off and tattling with information that you know and he doesn't."

"Very well. Wait, what's that?"

Narelle looked off to the direction Theo was referring to. A good distance away from the blockade, there was a single rowboat floating out to open sea, away from the island. She couldn't make out who was in the boat, as umbrellas covered the passengers. Puzzled, she handed over her scope to Andrew as he was passing by.

"Who is that?" she asked. "Can you see anything?"

The lieutenant peered through the scope.

"It looks like… a pair of ladies?" he suggested. "Wait. What's hap-"

A shot rang out, and Andrew's tricorn hat flew off his head. All at once, pirates poured over the sides of the ship, instantly starting chaos. To her disbelief, she noticed that the pirates attacking her were _skeletons, _and they couldn't seem to die. She watched an officer run his sword through a pirate, and it only seemed to annoy him. Narelle pulled out her sword, and threw herself into the fight.

"Someone ring the bell!" she yelled. "We need to alert the Commodore!"

"Aye, ma'am!" someone exclaimed. Eventually, the glorious ring of the bell sounded throughout the shore, and a wave of relief swept over Narelle.

_James will be here soon, _she thought. _Just have to hold them off 'til he gets here._

Wave after wave of the undead pirates attacked the _Dauntless. _Narelle was sure that the ship would soon be lost if James didn't show up. She kept fighting with her sword, occasionally ducking from bullets here and there. With her small frame, she was agile and able to evade the smaller attacks. Her smaller height made "bug bites," as they were called, more effective- whittle the opponent down with little attacks rather than going on endurance runs.

She was fighting almost back to back with Theo. Though he was a half head taller, Narelle was much faster than him.

"Getting tired yet?" he shouted to her. "I've got another three kills to add to my plethora."

She laughed, but kept fighting. "No," she called back. "But you can add another six to my count."

"Cheater! There are more pirates on your side than mine!"

"Well come over here and help!"

Theo moved over to fight side by side with her.

She heard two people yell, and she whipped her head around to find the source. Murtogg and Mullroy climbed out of their boat and onto the _Dauntless. _Narelle smiled, and fought with newfound energy as James hoisted himself onto the ship to fight.

She ran her sword through a pirate to buy time to get to James. The pirate only stumbled back a little, and huffed in annoyance. Narelle glanced in James's direction and saw he was dodging in and out of attacks, gracefully fighting back.

She made the decision to find a way over to him. She blocked many attacks and made a few swipes of her own, but eventually made it over to James.

"Glad you could join me," he called. "I was starting to get rather lonely."

"Glad I could help," she yelled back. "You almost look _bored_."

He laughed. "Just keeping myself busy."

They kept fighting off the pirates, but both of the officers were getting tired. Narelle knew that James couldn't hold out much longer- she hoped this fight would resolve itself quickly.

The pirate she was dueling with started throwing her off balance, and was quickly discovering her weak points. Forced to go on defense, Narelle abandoned her attacks and relied on her blocks to see this duel through.

_Maybe I can get James to finish him while he's not looking, _she thought.

All of a sudden, she saw an abrupt change in the pirate's demeanor. He started getting more aggressive, throwing punches at her instead of fighting fair. He caught her in the shoulder, causing her to only pause for half a second. She blocked another attack from his sword, as he landed another punch in her ribs. _Hard._ She gasped, taking a step back and dropped her sword. The pirate grabbed her by the throat and squeezed, effectively cutting off her air. For added effect and to put more pressure on her neck, he lifted her into the air, her feet dangling almost six inches off the deck. Her vision started to go blurry, and she saw black spots. She grabbed onto the arm holding her up, trying to find relief.

She felt an excruciating pain in her side. She blinked and looked down to see that the pirate was digging his sword in her side. He was going to kill her slowly! She grunted in pain, and closed her eyes.

_This is it, _she thought. _I'm gonna die here, and James doesn't even know._

Suddenly, the sword removed itself from her side, and she opened her eyes. The pirate's eyes were wide with shock and pain, and she saw that James ran him through with his sword. The pirate dropped Narelle, and she fell to the deck, unconscious.

**Noo! Not our lovely Narelle! D: I have the rest of this story in the works, and will finally finish it. That way I can say that I actually amounted to something and wrote an entire story for once. All of my non-friends will be so impressed….lol. Maybe it won't take me a year to write another chapter, but who knows? I'm not coming up with excuses to justify my absence, so I hope you enjoy this, and prepare for an onslaught of ending! :D**


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